Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

QTL Mapping and CRISPR/Cas9 Editing to Identify a Drug Resistance Gene in Toxoplasma gondii
11:37

QTL Mapping and CRISPR/Cas9 Editing to Identify a Drug Resistance Gene in Toxoplasma gondii

Published on: June 22, 2017

Why prevent, diagnose and treat congenital toxoplasmosis?

Rima McLeod1, Francois Kieffer, Mari Sautter

  • 1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Committees on Immunology, Genetics, Molecular Medicine, The College, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. rmcleod@midway.uchicago.edu

Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
|May 12, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Prompt diagnosis and treatment of toxoplasmosis, especially congenital toxoplasmosis, significantly improve outcomes. Early intervention prevents severe ocular and neurologic damage in infants.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Parasitology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Toxoplasmosis, caused by *Toxoplasma gondii*, can lead to severe health issues, particularly congenital toxoplasmosis.
  • Untreated congenital toxoplasmosis results in significant ocular and neurological complications.
  • Existing treatments show efficacy in animal models and immunocompromised individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the benefits of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of toxoplasmosis.
  • To assess the effectiveness of a French approach for diagnosing and treating congenital toxoplasmosis.
  • To determine if this approach is feasible, safe, and yields favorable outcomes in a US cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Review of evidence on anti-parasitic agents' efficacy against *Toxoplasma gondii*.
  • Analysis of outcomes associated with treated vs. untreated congenital toxoplasmosis.
  • Evaluation of a standardized French diagnostic and treatment protocol in a US study cohort.

Main Results:

  • Anti-parasitic agents halt parasite growth, prevent cell destruction, and cure infections in experimental animals.
  • Treatment of active infections in immunocompromised individuals and ocular toxoplasmosis is effective.
  • The French approach for congenital toxoplasmosis demonstrated feasibility, safety, and favorable outcomes in the Chicago cohort.

Conclusions:

  • Early diagnosis and treatment of toxoplasmosis, particularly congenital cases, are crucial for preventing severe sequelae.
  • The French diagnostic and treatment approach offers a viable strategy for improving outcomes in congenital toxoplasmosis.
  • Standardized, prompt intervention is key to reducing the adverse effects of toxoplasmosis.

More Related Videos

Forward Genetics Screens Using Macrophages to Identify Toxoplasma gondii Genes Important for Resistance to IFN-γ-Dependent Cell Autonomous Immunity11:21

Forward Genetics Screens Using Macrophages to Identify Toxoplasma gondii Genes Important for Resistance to IFN-γ-Dependent Cell Autonomous Immunity

Published on: March 12, 2015

Related Concept Videos

Toxoplasmosis01:28

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
American Trypanosomiasis01:22

American Trypanosomiasis

Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
Cytomegalovirus Disease01:27

Cytomegalovirus Disease

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is caused by human cytomegalovirus, a double-stranded DNA virus of the Herpesviridae family. While primary CMV infection is often asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, the virus can cause severe disease in neonates and immunocompromised patients. CMV is the most common cause of congenital viral infection in the United States, and a major pathogen in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.CMV is transmitted via bodily fluids, sexual...
Sexually Transmitted Infections01:26

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diseases transmitted primarily through unsafe sexual interactions. Bacteria, viruses, or parasites cause them and can result in severe health complications if untreated.ChlamydiaThe bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for the disease Chlamydia, the most common STI in the United States. This peculiar pathogen requires human cells to reproduce, residing intracellularly. The initial infection often goes unnoticed because it typically does not...
Trichomoniasis01:18

Trichomoniasis

Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated protozoan parasite and the causative agent of trichomoniasis, one of the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted infections in the United States. This extracellular parasite primarily colonizes the lower genitourinary tract in women—particularly the vagina—and in men, the urethra and prostate. Its structural and functional adaptations enable its survival, motility, and pathogenicity within the host environment.Structural Features and Host EntryT.
Teratogenicity01:07

Teratogenicity

The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...